Bruised
by Aesculap
Summary: Coda to 5.08; Castiel got a few bruises, the boys take care of him


**AN**: Coda to 5.08

* * *

After they had left the ramshackle factory building and were about to enter the city boundaries again Dean noticed movement on the backseat from the corner of his eye. A quick look in the rear view mirror revealed Castiel sitting there frowning. The hunter had not noticed the Angel entering the car and a side glance at Sam confirmed he too hadn't realized Castiel was riding with them.  
"Hey, Cas. How didya find us?"  
"Bobby called after you vanished and told me to trace and assist you."  
"'m sure he phrased it a bit differently..."  
"In fact he told me to 'find those idijit brothers', get them out of the trouble they surely have put themselves into again and do a bit of 'babysitting'. I spotted your car and inspected this building where I found you."  
"Wanna tell us where Gabe sent you to?" Dean snickered, picturing Castiel having to deal with Homer Simpson.  
"No."  
"Oh, c'mon, Cas! Don't be a spoilsport, humor me!"  
"I do not wish to discuss that experience. Not now and not anytime near."  
They again drove in silence for a few minutes.

"Castiel, you are still bleeding..." Sam spoke up for the first time.  
"I am."  
"Can't mojo it away?" Dean asked as he turned the car into the motel's parking lot.  
"As I have already told you before, healing is no longer among my powers."

Dean wasn't sure but he thought the Angel sounded on edge. He had been pissed at the encounter with Gabriel but Dean had thought whatever the Archangel had Castiel sent to responsible for his friend's nasty mood. Being the target of the Angel's ill temper was nothing he wanted right now. Perhaps Castiel would chill down again when offered a cool beer? At least Dean would feel better with a bottle when he had to be dealing with a pissed off Angel.

"Come on, Cas. We'll talk inside." Dean gestured at the motel, left the car and walked to their door. Sam too exited the impala and turned to watch whether the Angel would follow his brother or flutter off again.

Castiel slowly opened the door and very carefully got off the car. Sam watched the Angel closely, noticed how he helt himself stiffly, the way Castiel walked cautiously as if way more beat up than he wanted them to believe. With a frown the younger Winchester followed the Angel to their room.

Dean opened the frige and took three bottles of cool beer out of it. Unfortunately they lacked the ingredients to make a sandwich like the one he had had in the strange sitcom. The older hunter really could use something to eat, too. He opened one bottle with his ring and took a health gulp before turning to his brother and the Angel.  
As Dean was handing out the other bottles Sam quietly suggested his brother took a good look at Castiel. The older hunter nodded his acknowledgement without the Angel so much as noticing the silent communication between both brothers.

Dean gave Castiel the third bottle of beer, slapped him amicably on the shoulder and noticed with alarm how the Angel gave a wince of pain. "Ok... I think you are not 'fine', Cas. If you not wanna talk about what happened, I won't ask you. But this..." He gestured at Castiel's shoulder and the swell around his left eye and was about to continue as the Angel said with determination: "I. Am. Fine." "No, we're doing this my way. And don't you dare to fligh off again before I'm finished!"

Sam helped his brother carefully strip Castiel. The trench coat's collar was bloody and there was a brown stain on the back as if the Angel had fallen into some kind of mud. If Castiel was no longer able to mend his stuff either they would have to add it to their laundry. The dressing shirt was still pristine although more rumpled than ever and landed on the same stack. The younger Winchester inhaled sharply as he saw the dark bruises on the Angel's back. Apparently Gabriel hadn't been the only one throwing Castiel against Walls.

Dean noticed the angry contusion on the Angel's shoulder right where he had touched him. "Dislocated..." he muttered before sending Sam for their first aid kit a a bowel of ice. "We have to set your arm again, Cas. I have no idea if you've seen us doing that kind of stuff but believe me when I tell you that'll hurt like a bitch."  
"It is already hurting." The Angel stated without any hint of emotions.  
"Yeah? It'll hurt much more, trust me, you'll have to experience it yourself before you know what I am talking about. Dammit, what's taking Sam so long?"

Dean couldn't spot his brother in the parking lot and assumed he was already fetching ice from the machine in the motel's office. He returned to the Angel and studied the cut on his friend's nose. "This might need one stitch or another... And you're gonna have a hell of a shiner tomorrow, pal."

Slowly Castiel reached up and touched the bruise in his face. "I have never head a black eye... Is this why my head is hurting?"

"Yep. And we should take care of that pain and the one you'll be into as soon as I take care of your shoulder. And by the way, stitching one up isn't very pleasant either. So we really should prepare you properly. I hope you like Whiskey..."

When Sam returned not only with their first aid kit but also with two ice packs the nice girl at the reception had given him as he told her about the dislocated shoulder of his friend he found Dean tipsy and Castiel downright drunk off his ass. With a sigh the younger hunter decided he would be the one to stitch the Angel up.

Resetting the dislocated shoulder was easy. Dean told Castiel to lay down and while Sam made sure the Angel wouldn't move the older Hunter sat down next to Castiel, placed a folded towel under his friend's armpit and put his foot into it to stabilize everything. "Cas, you're ready?" Dean asked while he carefully took the Angel's arm just above the wrist, straightened his leg and leaned back forcefully before Castiel could so much as answer. With an agonized yell that made half of the light bulbs shatter the shoulder popped back into place.

"At least the windows're still intact..." Dean muttered as Sam prepared needle, thread and disinfection fluid. "I'd hate to explain that to the manager."

Although Castiel gave his best he cringed every time the needle stabbed through his skin. It took the younger hunter one half a minute to finish and put a patch over the Angel's nose. Dean wrapped the ice pack in a towel and tenderly put it on Castiel's eye while Sam put the first aid kit away. "You have to make sure the cold isn't on the eye but on the swelling, Cas. Here. That's the right spot. Got it? OK. And now you have to stay like that."

"'s cold, Dean."

"It has to be."

"What now?"

"I'd say sleep but as you don't do that... relax? Watch TV?"

"No. No TV, please."

With a spreading grin Sam watched his brother and the beat up Angel. Their live _really _was weird.


End file.
